Water whorl-grass

Catabrosa aquatica

Family: Poaceae Genus: Catabrosa Species: aquatica

Synonyms: Glyceria dulcis, Catabrosa angusta, Catabrosa aquatica var. pamirensis, Aira aquatica, Catabrosa viridula, Catabrosa aquatica f. zapalowiczii, Catabrosa aquatica f. latifolia, Catabrosa aquatica var. laurentiana, Catabrosa aquatica f. uniflora, Agrostis tillieri, Hydrochloa airoides, Aira scabra, Catabrosa minor, Poa dulcis, Glyceria aquatica, Catabrosa kneuckeri, Poa airoides var. uniflora, Catapodium aquaticum, Catabrosa pseudairoides, Poa pseudairoides, Aira aquatica var. duplicata, Catabrosa scabra, Catabrosa aquatica subsp. capusii, Catabrosa ochroleuca, Glyceria aquatica var. americana, Festuca airoides, Catabrosa aquatica var. atrata, Catabrosa aquatica var. ochroleuca, Catabrosa aquatica var. subtilis, Colpodium aquaticum, Poa grandiflora, Glyceria catabrosa, Molinia aquatica, Diarrhena aquatica, Poa airoides var. purpurascens, Catabrosa capusii, Catabrosa aquatica f. schurii, Catabrosa aquatica var. uniflora, Catabrosa aquatica var. terrestris, Glyceria aquatica var. acutiflora, Glyceria aquatica var. latifolia, Catabrosa aquatica var. angusta, Catabrosa elbursensis, Catabrosa aquatica var. minor, Glyceria viridula, Colpodium elbursense, Aira aquatica var. multiplicata, Catabrosa aquatica var. littoralis, Poa rivularis, Aira aquatica var. ochroleuca, Catabrosa aquatica var. major, Catabrosa atrata, Catabrosa sikkimensis, Aira viridula, Catabrosa aquatica subsp. ochroleuca, Glyceria ochroleuca, Catabrosa airoides, Catabrosa aquatica subsp. pseudairoides, Catabrosa aquatica f. major, Catabrosa aquatica var. chionophila, Melica aquatica, Catabrosa aquatica var. latifolia

Water whorl-grass (en)

Western Herbalism Properties

Actions:

stimulanttonic

Gallery

Botanical Description

Catabrosa aquatica is a soft, spreading perennial grass of the Poaceae family growing 10-70 cm tall from creeping, rooting stolons that form loose mats in shallow water and saturated mud. The culms are weakly ascending, often partly floating, and bright pale green. Leaf blades are flat, soft, smooth on both surfaces, 4-10 mm wide and 5-15 cm long, with conspicuous ribbed sheaths and a prominent membranous ligule 3-8 mm long; the blade tip is rounded or abruptly pointed. The inflorescence is a delicate open, pyramidal panicle 8-25 cm long with whorls of fine, smooth, widely spreading branches bearing small purplish to greenish spikelets 2-3 mm long, each with 2-3 florets. Lemmas are obtuse and conspicuously three-nerved with the nerves projecting into small teeth at the truncate apex. Native to shallow streams, ditches, springs, and wet meadows across the temperate Northern Hemisphere, it flowers May to August.

Native Region: Afghanistan, Albania, Alberta, Algeria, Altay, Argentina South, Arizona, Arkansas, Austria, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, British Columbia, Bulgaria, Buryatiya, Central European Rus, Chile South, China North-Central, China South-Central, Chita, Colorado, Corse, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, East European Russia, East Himalaya, Finland, France, Føroyar, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Idaho, Inner Mongolia, Iowa, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Krasnoyarsk, Krym, Labrador, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Manitoba, Mongolia, Montana, Morocco, Nebraska, Nepal, Netherlands, Nevada, New Brunswick, New Mexico, Newfoundland, North Caucasus, North Dakota, North European Russi, Northwest European R, Norway, Ontario, Oregon, Pakistan, Palestine, Poland, Prince Edward I., Qinghai, Québec, Romania, Sardegna, Saskatchewan, Sicilia, South Dakota, South European Russi, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tadzhikistan, Tibet, Transcaucasus, Turkey, Turkey-in-Europe, Turkmenistan, Tuva, Ukraine, Utah, Uzbekistan, Washington, West Himalaya, West Siberia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Xinjiang, Yugoslavia

Cultural & Historical Context

Traditional American Uses

The Shoshoni of the Great Basin prepared a decoction of the whole water whorl-grass plant taken internally as both a stimulant and a general tonic (Train, Henrichs, and Archer, 1941). Among the Crow and other Indigenous peoples of Montana, the plant was burned as incense during certain ceremonies, indicating its use as a ceremonial medicine (Blankinship, 1905). The seeds were gathered for food by the Crow and by the Gosiute of Utah (Blankinship, 1905; Chamberlin, 1911).

Chemistry & External Identifiers

Trefle ID

226413

Important Disclaimer

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.

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